


I Won't Ever Leave You

by flowing_river



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Bad Parent James MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Forehead Kisses, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jack is Mac's dad even though he doesn't know that yet, Jack is a good father, Misunderstandings, Nightmares, Parent Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016), Parental Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016), Past Abuse, Platonic Cuddling, Pre-Canon, Pre-Season/Series 01, Protective Jack Dalton (MacGyver 2016), Sickfic, Touch-Starved, Worried Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016), army fic, because James is a terrible father
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24276592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowing_river/pseuds/flowing_river
Summary: Jack didn't always know how to take care of a sick Mac.Basically Jack taking care of a sick Mac in the army with some angst, misunderstandings, and fluff
Relationships: Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 133





	I Won't Ever Leave You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JustAnotherWriter (N1ghtshade)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/N1ghtshade/gifts).



> Hey everyone!! I hope y'all are all doing well!!! Yes, I know I should be working on Destiny, but I was going through my files and found this half-finished wip that I've been writing for Thistle for ages, so I decided to finish it. Hope y'all like it :)
> 
> **Warning:** So this is a sickfic, but Mac just has a bad cold. Since I did write this a while back, there's this one part where Jack starts looking up Mac's symptoms and freaks out a bit and I just starred those paragraphs if you want to skip them. Stay safe everyone <3

Something is wrong with Mac. Jack can tell by his tired face when he meets Jack in front of the Humvee in the morning. He’s dragging his feet and looking like he’s going to collapse any second.

“You okay Mac?” he asks, frowning at the unfamiliar name on his tongue.

He’s just started calling him, ‘Mac’ instead or ‘Carl’s Jr’ or any other nickname he used. Jack knows the nicknames always annoyed Mac, so he’s trying to do his best to stay away from them.

“I’m fine,” he says.

But he’s not fine, his cheeks are a bit red like he has a fever.

“Are you sick?” he asks, he knows something has been going around.

An expression comes over Mac’s face that Jack can’t read.

“I’m not sick, I’m fine,” he says, “Now let’s get going, we’re getting late.”

Knowing that Mac won’t like being pushed, especially when they just managed to get their shaky friendship on stable ground, Jack lets the fact that Mac doesn’t look fine slide.

_He knows his limits, he’ll tell me if he’s not okay. Right?_

The day does not go well. Mac is slower than usual and he’s sweating buckets, more than usual in his bomb suit. Jack makes sure to keep water bottles nearby him, so he doesn’t get dehydrated.

By the end of the day, Mac’s voice is hoarse and he’s even more flushed red. Any doubts Jack had about Mac being sick are gone by now.

When he sees Mac practically collapse when he sits down, still sweating like crazy and looking like he’s going to pass out, he’s had enough.

He talks into his radio to let them know they’re coming back early and to have medical ready.

“What are you doing?” Mac chokes out and Jack winces at the sound of his voice.

“You’re sick, and you can’t work like this.”

“I’m fine,” Mac says, stubbornly.

“You have a fever,” he says after brushing his hand over Mac’s forehead.

“It’s hot, I don’t have a fever, I’m fine.”

“You’re getting checked out, no arguments,” Jack says.

Mac huffs but doesn’t say anything after that.

* * *

By the time they make it back to the base, Mac is asleep. He’s curled up in his seat, shivering, but his face looks peaceful. Jack hates that he has to wake him up.

“Come on, kid,” he says helping Mac out of the car.

Mac doesn’t even protest, he’s burning up and mumbling something under his breath that Jack can’t make out.

When Jack brings him inside, the medics take one look at him and start running tests and saying things he can’t understand. They tell him he has to leave and to come back in an hour or so for the full diagnosis.

When everything that happened finally catches up to him, Jack freezes. Mac is sick. And he’s never dealt with a sick person before.

Sure, he’s been sick a few times, but this is worse. He doesn’t know anything about taking care of a sick person.

“What’s going on, Dalton?” says a voice from behind him.

“The kid’s sick,” he says.

“Then why you looking like you’re going through a midlife crisis?” Grant asks.

“He’s sick. I’ve never taken care of a sick person.”

Grant laughs, “The kid’s grown on you huh? It’s not that hard, mostly just following your instincts.”

Grant gives him a few tips before saying, “I’ll see if I can find some soup, okay?”

*****Jack nods and he walks away. Jack spends the rest of his time trying to do research on illnesses, but he just ends up scaring himself. 

_It could be the flu or strep throat or tonsillitis. What if he has other symptoms I don’t know about yet? What if it's some killer virus?******_

* * *

When he goes back to medical, a nurse is standing next to Mac, who’s sitting on the bed, his eyes a little more clear than before. He’s hooked up to an IV filled with a clear liquid that’s almost finished.

“It’s just a bad cold, make sure he stays hydrated and his fever stays down, and he rests. But otherwise he’s free to leave,” she says, handing him a bag of medicines and other supplies, “Here are some things to take care of him with.”

Jack doesn’t recognize much in the bag, but he takes it and helps Mac up and into his room.

Mac doesn’t protest that Jack is practically carrying him at this point, he’s silent and shivering even though he still feels warm.

He helps Mac take off his shoes and lay down, then covers him with a few blankets when he starts shivering.

He notices some soup has been left in the room for later, after Mac is more awake. 

He digs through the bag until he finds what looks like a thermometer and tries to figure out how it works. He’s never checked anyone’s temperature before and he hopes he can take care of Mac properly.

It takes him a few minutes, but eventually he works it out. He goes up to Mac who’s shivering and mumbling things Jack can’t make out.

“Hey, kid. I need to check your temperature,” he says, trying to get Mac to open his mouth.

Mac shakes his head, “No, I’m fine. I’m not sick, I can still work.”

He claws at the blankets like he’s trying to pull them off and he starts trying to sit up.

Jack gently pulls his hands off the blanket and tucks him back in, “It’s okay, lay down. You don’t have to work right now.”

Jack can’t tell whether he’s talking to him, or stuck in a memory, but it still pains him so see Mac in such a state. He gently talks to him on and on until Mac finally stops fighting him and lets him take his temperature.

He sticks the thermometer in Mac’s mouth and when it beeps, he checks the temperature. 100.2 it says. He knows that medical already gave Mac some fever reducer, so he has to wait before he can give Mac another dose.

He makes sure Mac is settled before going to wet a washcloth with cold water and wipes Mac’s face with it before putting it down on his forehead. Mac sighs and leans into the cold cloth.

Jack steps back and turns around to leave to grab his phone so he has something to do while Mac rests when Mac calls out.

“No, please don’t leave. I’ll get up, I’m fine, I can still work. I’m not sick, I swear.”

Jack’s heart breaks at what Mac is saying and what he can assume from it. He wants to punch whoever forced Mac to work while he was sick.

“Please don’t go, I’ll be good I swear,” Mac continues begging.

Jack sits down on the bed next to Mac. He brushes Mac’s sweaty hair out of his face and then continues running his hand through his hair when Mac whines at the loss of contact.

“I’m not going anywhere kiddo,” Jack says, the nickname slipping out automatically, “Sleep, you need rest.”

Mac relaxes when he says that and his eyes close. Jack continues sitting by his side and keeping up the gentle soothing motions.

Mac looks calm for the most part, then his expression changes and he starts writhing and murmuring “no, no” over and over again.

He wonders what Mac is dreaming of as he tries to wake him up. He hates that the kid has seen horrors and wishes he could take away all the pain.

It takes Jack a few minutes until Mac sits up with a scream that makes Jack wince.

* * *

_Everything feels hot. Mac feels like he’s burning. He looks up and sees his Dad standing there._

_“Have you finished your work?” James demands._

_“I don’t feel that well,” Mac says, wincing at how it hurts to talk with his sore throat._

_“That’s no excuse. Don’t pretend to be sick to make up for being lazy.” James sneers._

_“No-I’m not-”_

_“God, Angus. Can’t you do anything right for once? I asked you to do_ one _thing and you didn’t even try,” James rants._

_“Dad I tried, I really did, but-”_

_“Don’t give me any of your excuses. I expect better_ _from you. And then you do this?”_

_“Dad-”_

_“Get out of my sight! I don’t want to see you again until you get this done. And I don’t want any ‘I’m sick’ excuses. I’ve heard enough of them from you!”_

_“Dad-”_

_“Go!” James yells._

_Mac goes into his room and tries to figure out the project his Dad wanted him to do. But he’s so tired and his head is pounding. Nothing is working and Mac just want to sleep._

_Suddenly James is next to him and he’s screaming things that are making Mac’s headache increase exponentially and then-_

Mac sits up with a scream that makes his throat hurt even more. He feels a hand on his arm, and he flinches.

“I’ll finish it. I’m not sick, I swear, Dad. I-”

“Kiddo, your Dad’s not here,” Jack’s voice suddenly interrupts his thoughts.

Mac turns to see Jack sitting besides him with a concerned expression on his face. He brushes Mac’s hair out of his face and Mac leans into the touch without thinking.

He can’t remember the last time someone touched his face like that, and Jack’s cool hand feels amazing on his head. Jack doesn’t move his hand away and Mac just sits there, taking slightly raspy breaths until his heartbeat seems to return to normal.

“You okay, kid?” Jack asks after a minute.

Mac flushes slightly at the nickname and nods.

“I’m just going to check your temperature, I need to get the thermometer,” Jack says gently.

Mac nods and resist the urge to grab onto Jack and never let him go. He’s not a child that needs to be coddled.

Jack returns a second later and sticks the thermometer in his mouth. He sits back down next to Mac and wipes away all the sweat on his face with a cool cloth. It feels amazing.

The thermometer beeps after a minute and Jack frowns when he reads the temperature.

“101.5,” he says, “Your fever’s up, you need to drink some soup and then take the medicine.”

“Okay,” Mac manages to say around his dry throat.

Jack holds out a water bottle with a straw in it and helps him take a few sips. Mac winces at the feeling of the water doing down his throat.

“I’ll be right back,” Jack says.

Mac watches him go and lets a few tears slip down his face. He should have realized that Jack would get tired of putting up with him after seeing him like this.

He couldn’t even manage to complete his job for the day. James was right, he was useless.

* * *

Jack is freaking out. Only his CIA training is letting him put on a calm face while he helps Mac. Jack watches the soup heat up while he goes over everything that’s happened.

He thinks he’s doing a pretty decent job of caring for Mac, but he’s concerned about the dream Mac had.

He knows there’s no chance Mac will tell him about, but based on what happened after Mac woke up, it must have something to do with Mac’s father.

_I definitely will have an urge to punch his father if I ever meet him. What kind of terrible person forces their son to keep working while he was sick?_

Jack doesn’t let his thoughts occupy him for too long. He quickly grabs the now warm soup and goes back into the room.

And he finds Mac standing up unsteadily, with and red-rimmed eyes, almost dried up tears and a fever flushed face. Mac looks up when he hears Jack and looks surprised to see him.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Jack asks, keeping his voice calm.

Mac looks confused now, “I thought we had work to do?” he asks slowly.

“The only work you need to do is to rest. You’re sick.”

  
“I’m not sick,” Mac says.

Jack puts the soup down and gently holds Mac’s arms, so he doesn’t fall down.

“You have a fever, you need to rest,” Jack says, “Working could be dangerous for you right now.”

“I am perfectly capable of doing my job,” Mac snaps, trying to shrug off Jack’s hands.

“I know you are,” Jack says, realizing his mistake. Mac usually responds well to logic and based on the nightmares Jack heard, Mac doesn’t want to look like he failed at something, “But you have a fever out and it’s hot. You could get dehydrated or get a heat stroke, especially in that big suit of yours. And that would just mean more time to recover. If you rest, you’ll get better faster and then you can go out again.”

Mac slumps a bit in his hold, “Fine,” he says.

Jack helps him sit back down on the bed and grabs the bowl of soup and sits next to Mac.

“I can eat myself,” Mac says.

Jack decides not to push and hands Mac the bowl and watches him slowly take sips with slightly shaky hands.

“Are you just going to watch me eat?” Mac asks him.

“Yes, you need to finish the soup and take your medicine,” Jack says.

Mac huffs but doesn’t say anything further. He finishes the bowl and makes a face before taking the medicine. Jack takes the bowl from Mac and stands up.

“You need to sleep now, I’ll be right back, I just need to put the bowl away-”

“You don’t have to come back, I’m fine,” Mac says.

“Are you sure, kid?” Jack asks. He still remembers how Mac clung onto him earlier.

“I’m just going to sleep. Go, you probably have things to do anyways,” Mac says, before lying down and curling up under the blankets.

Jack isn’t still sure about this, but he listens to the kid. He doesn’t want to push him too much.

* * *

Mac wakes up with a gasp. He pushes the sweaty blankets off himself and then pulls them back on when he starts shivering. As expected, he’s alone. He knows it’s fault, he’s the one who sent Jack away.

He knew it was a matter of time before Jack left on his own. He’s pathetic and needy while he’s sick and he doesn’t want Jack to see him like that. He grabs the thermometer on the table beside him and checks his temperature in a very familiar motion.

101.9, his fevers up a bit. Mac squints at the clock and realizes it’s just about time for his next dose. He pulls one of the blankets around him and goes out to grab the medicine.

Jack is on the couch, snoring and sleeping deeply. Mac resists the urge to go lay with him. He craves someone to hold him, but he won’t disturb Jack. Who knows how long Jack has been up taking care of him.

Mac blinks away a few tears, he hates how emotional he gets when he’s sick, and grabs his medicine and takes the next dose. He stumbles back to his room and tries to go back to sleep.

He tosses and turns and eventually nods off to only be awoken by another nightmare. He can’t help the tears that start running down his face. He sits up and buries his head on the top of his knees. He tries his best to keep his sobs quiet. He doesn’t need to wake Jack up and disturb him even more.

He flinches hard when he suddenly feels a blanket being draped around him and a hand gently holding his shoulder.

“Hey, kiddo,” Jack’s gentle voice says, “What’s wrong?”

Mac sobs harder, he didn’t mean to wake up Jack. He’s just a failure like his Dad always said. Why can’t he do anything right?

He didn’t realize he had been talking out loud until Jack says, “Hey, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep like that. And you’re not a failure, Mac. Don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise.”

Jack doesn’t say anything after that, just leaving his hand on Mac’s shoulder while Mac sobs. He doesn’t yell at him for crying or tell him to be quiet. It’s nice, but Mac just wishes Jack would hug him. He aches to be held.

Mac sobs die out after a few minutes and Mac keeps his head down, avoiding Jack’s gaze.

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” Jack asks again.

“N-Nothing,” Mac stutters out.

“You wanna try again, kid?” Jack asks.

“I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“No need to apologize, I was supposed to be taking care of you anyways.”

Mac hesitates before saying, “You don’t have to though.”

Jack looks at him with a questioning expression on his face, so Mac elaborates.

“You probably have better things to do. You don’t have to take care of me.”

“I’m not doing anything I don’t want to. If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be here,” Jack says.

Mac looks at him with amazement, “You…you actually want to take care of me?”

“Jack nods, “Of course I do. Now tell me what else is wrong.”

Mac looks away and avoids Jack’s eyes.

“Mac?”

  
“Can I have a hug?” Mac asks in almost a whisper.

He expects Jack to laugh or scoff at him, but instead he’s bundled up by two strong arms. Mac sighs and relaxes, Jack is warm, and Mac presses his face into Jack’s chest. He doesn’t ever want Jack to let go of him; he doesn’t remember the last time someone hugged him like this.

One arm leaves him, and Mac whines a bit until he hears Jack gently saying something and then the thermometer is in his mouth. Mac feels a hand running through his hair gently and Mac completely slumps against Jack.

The thermometer beeps and Jack takes it out of his mouth. A cool cloth is put on his forehead and then Jack is moving so he sits on the bed properly and Mac is basically curled up in his lap.

“Go sleep, kiddo. I’ll be right here.”

Mac feels a slight pressure on his head, a kiss he realizes, as his eyes slip close. He doesn’t have any nightmares.

* * *

Jack stays still while he holds Mac’s sleeping form. He continues running his hand through Mac’s hair in a soothing motion.

He had been surprised when Mac had melted into the hug, he was clearly touch starved, and Jack knew he has to do something about that.

_No wonder he started crying when he woke up alone._

He shouldn’t have let Mac push him away. Mac must have been feeling vulnerable and decided to push him away before Jack did so himself.

_I am definitely going to punch his father if I meet him._

Jack holds Mac and eventually falls asleep himself. He wakes up when he feels his kid move in his arms.

“How are you feeling, kiddo?” he asks.

“Better,” Mac says.

Mac certainly looks a bit better now that he got some sleep.

“I need to check your temperature again and then warm some more soup and get your medicine, okay?”

Mac nods, so Jack gets up, sticks the thermometer in Mac’s mouth and goes out to get the soup. He returns to see the temperature is 100.0.

Jack sits down next to Mac and holds out a spoonful of soup for Mac. Mac doesn’t protest being fed and he finishes all the soup and takes his medicine.

After he’s done, Jack hugs Mac again. He noticed the looks Mac had been giving Jack, like he missed being held, so he doesn’t wait for Mac to ask him again. He’s pretty sure Mac only said something earlier because of his fever.

Mac relaxes in the hug again and Jack smiles. He may not entirely have the hang on how to take care of a sick Mac, but it’s a work in progress. He knows someday, he’ll be able to read his kid perfectly.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!!!


End file.
